Confucius

Confucius (September 28, 551 BC - March 9, 479 BC), whose surname was Zi, his surname was Kong, his given name was Qiu, and his given name was Zhongni. He was respectfully called Confucius or Kongfuzi in later generations. He was an official, thinker and educator of the Lu State in the Spring and Autumn Period of China. Kong was born into the aristocracy of the Song Dynasty and moved to the Lu Kingdom three generations before Confucius. Confucius lost his father when he was three years old. He began to teach disciples when he was about thirty years old. Soon he became the most famous etiquette expert in the Lu State, and successively served as the Zhongdu Prime Minister and the Great Sikou. Later, Confucius was jealous and ostracized, so he resigned and left the state of Lu. He traveled around the country for fourteen years, seeking official opportunities, hoping that the monarch would adopt his political ideas, but he was never appointed. Finally, he returned to the state of Lu, where he concentrated on teaching his disciples and compiling scriptures until his death. In terms of thought, Confucius advocated returning to the "way of the ancient kings", respecting the etiquette of the Zhou Dynasty, respecting the Duke of Zhou, and resisting the arrogance of nobles and usurpation by ministers. The way of governing the country focused on educating the people, advocating the rule of virtue, advocating virtues such as benevolence, filial piety, loyalty, forgiveness, wisdom, and courage, teaching people to restrain themselves, restore propriety, and the golden mean, and do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you. Confucius preached humanism, cared about life issues in this world, believed that human nature is good, emphasized etiquette, and emphasized that emotions should be sincere when saluting. Confucius was the first to pioneer civilian education, advocating "education without distinction," and adopted the method of teaching students in accordance with their aptitude to train and recommend their disciples to join politics and become officials. It is said that Confucius's disciples numbered three thousand, and there were many talented people, including 72 who were proficient in the six arts; important disciples included Yan Yuan, Zi Lu, Zigong, Zi Xia and others. Confucius was a man of great knowledge, profound wisdom and rich emotions. He is proficient in etiquette and music, flexible in handling affairs, and has deep personal charm. Confucius respected ghosts and gods and kept them at a distance. He did not talk about "strange powers and chaos of gods", but also emphasized the rituals of sacrifice. He was convinced that God had given him a special mission to revive the Zhou rites. In terms of classical studies, Confucius revised and edited the Five Classics, often using the "Book of Songs" as a teaching material, and wrote the historical book "Spring and Autumn" to express his subtle thoughts and great ideas. The disciples also compiled a book called "The Analects of Confucius" to record Confucius' words and deeds. Confucius is the founder of Chinese Confucianism and the founder of philosophy and ethics. He enlightened the moral consciousness of the Chinese people. His teachings became an important ideological resource for governing the bureaucratic state for more than two thousand years. Disciples of Confucius regarded him as a saint. Confucius was worshiped by the imperial court and scholar-bureaucrats of all dynasties and revered as the "Teacher of All Times". He was also posthumously named the "Holy Teacher" and "King Wenxuan" for generations. The ceremony to worship Confucius was extremely grand. The descendants of the Kong family are known as "the best family in the world". They have been promoted to officials and nobles by successive courts, and have been awarded the title of Yanshenggong. However, during the New Culture Movement in modern China, intellectuals advocated "Down with the Confucius Family Store". The view at that time was that Confucius symbolized authoritarianism and paternalism.